After a season full of re-scheduling, COVID testing, and game-day inactive’s due to tracing, we have finally made it out. As football fans, from February to April it’s usually just pure pain waiting for football. However, free agency is like the one to two weeks of bliss before reality smacks us in the face. With free agency comes the Twitter notifications from Adam Schefter, Ian Rappaport, and NFL Update are all turned on. You just sit and wait for your phone to show a notification of your team. And for my team, the New England Patriots, it was an interesting offseason to say the least. So yeah, let’s get into it.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
2020 Record: 13-3
The Bills had a nearly magical season. Their run to the AFC Championship wasn’t originally expected but when you get Josh Allen a solid O-Line and a top 5 receiver in Stefon Diggs, you’re setting your team up for success. Diggs would go on to lead the league in both catches and receiving yards and Allen would throw for over 4500 yards and 37 TDs. After such a great season the Bills would need to re-evaluate their roster in order to make another run again. Let’s take a look at their key additions, in my opinion, of this offseason.
LB Matt Milano (re-sign)
Milano is an anchor on the Bills defense and a presence in the locker room. The 26 year-old was drafted by the Bills in the fifth round in 2017 and has been a solid contributor. $24 Million guaranteed is a steep price to pay but he’s a guy that’s been in Buffalo since the beginning of the McDermott era so Bills mafia trust that he is worth it.
WR Emmanuel Sanders
This a big addition to a team that lost wideout John Brown to the Raiders recently. Sanders comes from two short stints in New Orleans and San Fransisco but he still contributed. Last years Sanders racked in 61 catches for 726 yards and 5 touchdowns for the Saints. He hasn’t had an 1,000 yard season since 2016 but honestly he doesn’t even need to. He wasn’t even the #1 option on the 49ers (Kittle) or New Orleans (Michael Thomas), so for him to still produce is impressive. He’ll be taking a similar role in Buffalo joining a receiving corps of Diggs, Cole Beasley, and the underrated Gabriel Davis.
Miami Dolphins
2020 Record: 10-6
The Dolphins showed significant improvement last year in their second year under head coach Brian Flores. Flores brought a new energy and an emphasis on team culture to Hard Rock Stadium and clearly the pieces are being slowly put together. After just narrowly missing the playoffs to Baltimore last year, the Dolphins didn’t really have to do much this offseason. With two picks in the first round of the upcoming draft (3 & 18), the Dolphins capitalized on the 49ers need for a quarterback and traded down to the #12 spot in exchange for two firsts and a third in 2022. However, they immediately flipped the pick to the Eagles at #6. So now they have both the #6 & #18 picks in this years draft. So it’s safe to say, the Dolphins front office has been busy.
LB Benardrick McKinney (via trade)
The Dolphins lost veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy to the Patriots this offseason so they went and traded for a solid one in Benardrick McKinney. They did lose Shaq Lawson, who was a solid contributor with four sacks and a forced fumble, but McKinney (in his last healthy season) had 101 combined tackles. McKinney is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury but I feel that if he stays healthy he can be a huge part of this defense.
WR Will Fuller V
The Dolphins and Texans seem to be very acquainted with each other in recent years. Fuller will miss the first game of the season due to his PED suspension but will be entering a new group consisting of DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, and Mike Gesicki. Before his suspension cut his season short Fuller was having a career year with Deshaun Watson throwing him the ball. Fuller racked in 53 catches for 879 yards and 8 touchdowns in only 11 games. He will look to become acquainted with his new quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and try to help his new team make the playoffs for the first time since Adam Gase was their head coach.
New England Patriots
2020 Record: 7-9
For the first time in a long time, the Patriots weren’t the team to beat in the AFC. With their COVID struggles, a new quarterback for the first time in almost 20 years, the hardest schedule in the league, and a league-high eight COVID opt-outs, the Patriots struggles showed. While New Englands lord and savior Tom Brady left to warmer weather and won his seventh Super Bowl, the slander poured down on the mastermind known as Bill Belichick. He answered by simply going Thanos mode in free agency. Every hole that the Patriots had in their team was attended to accordingly. It felt like every 30 minutes my phone would have a new Patriots free agency notification. And I absolutely loved it. So let’s go over some of my favorite moves the Patriots did this offseason.
TE’s Hunter Henry & Jonnu Smith
A lot of the Patriots major success have come with the use of their two tight end sets. With Rob Gronkowski at the center of most of the production of the Patriots offense in the last ten years, was a big reason why the offense took a halt the last two years. Gronk has always been the safety valve to go to on those 3rd & longs and goal-line situations. When you look at the teams that had the combo of the late Aaron Hernandez & Gronk and Martellus Bennett & Gronk, it just opened the offense to do so much more. Both Henry and Smith are solid, physical, and highly productive tight ends. Henry caught 8 touchdowns his rookie year in 2016 and is coming off a year with a career high in catches (60). Smith is coming off a career high year in all three categories of catches (41), yards (448), and touchdowns (8). The only worry I have is the worry of Hunter Henry’s durability, as he’s never played a full 16 game season. And especially now that there is a 17th game being added. If both tight ends can stay healthy, it’s going to be a scary sight to see for all AFC East linebackers.
LB Matt Judon
The pass-rush last year for the year was just straight abysmal. Players like Chase Winovich and Josh Uche showed promise but when Winovich was the team’s sack leader with 3.5, that’s just a problem. The defense hasn’t had a solid pass rush presence since Trey Flowers left for Detroit in 2019 so to sign up Judon for four years is a big signing. Judos is coming off back-to-back years of 6+ sacks and 50+ tackles. With Judon, Winovich, and Uche bringing the heat on the edge it’ll open up more pass rushing lanes for guys like Lawerence Guy, Dont’a Hightower, Deatrich Wise, and new signing Davon Godchaux.
What’s crazy is that this tweet doesn’t even show all of the moves. Sadly Patrick Chung retired but some of the big moves that stand out from this tweet is Trent Brown coming back for some late picks from Vegas, re-signing our QB1 in Cam, and the receiving duo of Bourne and Agholor. Some moves that aren’t in this tweet that are extremely important are the re-signing of running back James White & center David Andrews and also the acquisitions of both linebackers Kyle Van Noy & Raekwon McMillan. This is a make or break year for the Patriots. Belichick has gone all in on this team and I can’t be happier. A full offseason for Cam and the squad, six picks in the first four rounds, and still a decision pending on former DPOY Stephon Gilmore’s future after trade rumors. I see success for this team right here and a lot of apologizing coming towards a certain former MVP. Stay tuned.
New York Jets
2020 Record: 2-14
Being a Jets fan is rough. You go 2-14 and still don’t get the number one pick in the draft. HOWEVER, things are looking up for the East Rutherford Jets. New head coach Robert Saleh comes into the organization with high praise around the league and an emphatic energy into a locker room that seemed to have no faith in Adam Gase the second his press conference ended. Saleh is bringing Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, to be the new offensive coordinator so it’ll definitely be a new look Jets. The million dollar question right now is if the Jets are going to let quarterback Sam Darnold get another shot or are they going to put their franchise in someone else’s hands. It’s looking like Sammy D’s time in New York is about to run out as the main rumor is that the Jets are looking to take BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the #2 pick. Whether they do that or not, here are their key offseason additions.
WR Corey Davis
Davis is coming off a career year with the Titans with 65 catches for 984 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Titans declined his fifth-year option the offseason before and Davis decided to go off on his contract year and deservedly got paid. The one question is what quarterback will be throwing him, Jamison Crowder, and Denzel Mims the ball.
DE Carl Lawson
Lawson has been a solid pass-rusher for Cincinnati for about four years now, with his best sack total coming in his rookie year (8.5). However, Lawson is more than just a pass-rusher, he is a force in stopping the run and pairing him with former first-rounder Quinnen Williams, who’s coming off a 7.5 sack season as well, will bode very well for a Jets defense that was ranked 26th in total defense. Another player that I’m going to just slide in here at the end of this is safety Marcus Maye returning on the franchise tag. Maye is a captain and leader of the defense so his presence, along with the return of 2020 COVID opt-out C.J. Mosley, will bring a much needed veteran presence to this defense.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
2020 Record: 11-5
When your quarterback is a former MVP, you start every year with expectations to have a chance at the Super Bowl. And especially when your quarterback is a once in a generation talent, those expectations are put under a huge magnifying glass. The Ravens started the season slow but ended the year on a six game winning streak before ultimately losing to the Bills in the divisional round. The Ravens faced this offseason with one major problem at hand. Get Lamar Jackson some weapons and protection. They (I would say) moderately addressed both issues. Let’s take a look at what they did.
WR Sammy Watkins
An underrated signing, Sammy Watkins comes to Baltimore to become arguably WR1. Watkins will join Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Miles Boykin, & Mark Andrews as Jackson’s top pass-catching weapons. With the loss of Willie Snead to the Las Vegas Raiders, both Watkins & Brown will be thrust into a bigger role in the offense. With such a deep receiver class this year, I expect the Ravens to select at least one or two wideouts in this months upcoming draft.
OG Kevin Zeitler
Since Marshall Yanda retired in 2019, the Ravens have been needing a veteran offensive line presence to help protect their crown jewel Lamar Jackson. Zeitler definitely brings that and at only 31 years old, the former first rounder looks to become an anchor for this line for the next three years.
Cincinnati Bengals
2020 Record: 4-11-1
The Bengals hopeful 2020 season definitely showed some bright spots like wins against the Steelers and Titans but their #1 pick Joe Burrow’s season unfortunately came to end after a gruesome knee injury in week 10. The main goal of this offseason is to surround their franchise quarterback with protection and with some more weapons on the outside. The return of Burrow and running back Joe Mixon will give the city of Cincinnati a new-look offense with full hopefully full health.
DE Trey Hendrickson
With the loss of Carl Lawson to the Jets, the Bengals went out and spent big money on Trey Hendrickson from the Saints. The man with no gloves had an incredible season last year tallying 13.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Hendrickson will pair up now with new signing Larry Ogunjobi to help booster this Bengals defensive line.
CB’s Mike Hilton, Eli Apple, & Chidobe Awuzie
With the loss of William Jackson III to the Washington Football Team and Mackensie Alexander to the Minnesota Vikings, the Bengals went and replaced their secondary with some big-time depth guys. Both Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie are solid starting corners and will boost a defensive back room that already included players like Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III. The Bengals also went out and got a veteran safety in Ricardo Allen from the falcons. Now it is up to the front office to get either Penei Sewell or Ja’Marr Chase with that coveted fifth pick in the draft.
Cleveland Browns
2020 Record: 11-5
The city of Cleveland finally was given hope for their football team for the first time in almost two decades last year. From 1-31 over two years with Hue Jackson to now being a playoff team is truly remarkable. Baker Mayfield and Co. came into last year with unknown expectations due to future coach of the year winner Kevin Stefanski having his first head coaching job. Even with the loss of star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. mid-year to an ACL injury, they finished the season strong by dropping 48 points on the Steelers and almost coming away with a victory against the eventual AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. General Manager Andrew Berry has done a stellar job in this past year and has done another couple of great moves to set their team up for a repeat year in 2021.
S John Johnson III
The Browns went out and got an absolute dog in John Johnson III from the Rams. Johnson is a perennial run-stopper and is coming off a year with 105 tackles for the leagues #1 defense. After losing Karl Joseph to free agency the Browns had to go and get their big-money guy with Johnson. With Grant Delpit returning after losing his rookie season to injury the Browns secondary is looking to definitely improve this year.
CB Troy Hill
The Ohio native is coming off a career year in Los Angeles with 3 interceptions, 3 touchdowns, and 77 tackles for the #1 defense in the league. Him and Johnson have teamed up again to bring their talents to Cleveland. I won’t say that Hill is a top 10 or maybe even 20 corners in the league, but he’s an underrated singing for sure. I feel like when you have a corner that can make those tackles around the line of scrimmage, that’s valuable.
Pittsburgh Steelers
2020 Record: 11-5
Yikes. What a rough year. I’m also very concerned about this year for the Steelers too. Losing Bud Dupree, Mike Hilton, Steven Nelson, Vance McDonald, & Maurkice Pouncey is definitely going to hurt. Re-singing Ben is obviously not the worst thing but I don’t think you’re going to get any better with him at the quarterback position. Another negative is that they were in trouble with salary cap and couldn’t really make any significant moves this offseason. Some small signings were Kalen Ballage, Tyson Alualu, & Cameron Sutton. But here’s the one “big” move that they did.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (re-sign)
After pushes from both Baltimore and Kansas City, the Steelers were able to retain their young wideout. JuJu is coming off of a great year with 97 catches for 831 yards and 9 touchdowns, but it was sadly clouded over by his TikTok antics and other stuff off of the field. I don’t know if he can get any better with Ben as the quarterback, but it’ll definitely be an interesting year in Pittsburgh so keep an eye on Heinz Field.
AFC South
Houston Texans
2020 Record: 4-12
The Texans are a living nightmare right now. With Deshaun Watson going through his legal issues/trade request and the front office being the butt of jokes on NFL twitter, it’s gotta hurt Texans fans. However, they went absolutely crazy with the signings and trades this offseason. Now they might’ve not gotten any eye-popping names, they got some solid depth to complete the squad. However, the problem is who is going to be throwing the ball for them next year.
CB Desmond King II
The Texans were bad in everything last year. So any addition is a positive to a defense that lost arguably their face in J. J. Watt. King is coming from a year of being traded from LA to Tennessee and now signing with their division rival in the Texans. King is a solid corner who will definitely have an impact but his lack of pass deflections and interceptions of the past two years are worrisome. We’ll see though I believe he can have another “breakout” year in Houston.
QB Tyrod Taylor
Now obviously Shaq Lawson is a bigger addition to this Texans squad but the reason I’m putting Tyrod on my key additions. Tyrod joins Ryan Finley as one of the two quarterbacks that the Texans have brought in. And that’s my main point here, the fact that they brought in Taylor showed that they are preparing for the worst for Deshaun. We’ll see what the hell happens in the world of Jack Easterby and Nick Caserio.
Indianapolis Colts
2020 Record: 11-5
The Colts are coming off their loan year with Phillip Rivers and honestly, it wasn’t that bad. They have an extremely solid defense, a good coach in Frank Reich, and now a new quarterback in Carson Wentz. After losing that close game at Buffalo in the wild-card, the Colts are looking to claim the AFC South title. Here’s some of their solid additions that they did in the offseason.
QB Carson Wentz (via trade)
Wentz is coming off a very interesting year in Philadelphia and he’s re-uniting with his former offensive coordinator Frank Reich. After throwing 15 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and getting benched for then rookie Jalen Hurts, Wentz requested a trade as reports swirled that his relationship with then head coach Doug Pedersen. As he looks for a new start in Indy, the fans will be waiting to see if Wentz will play like 2017 MVP contender Carson Wentz or 2020 Mr. Int Carson Wentz.
WR T.Y. Hilton (re-sign)
This was a major signing for Indianapolis being able to retain their number one target. T.Y. is basically a Colts legend and has been one of the major pieces to this team for almost a decade. He went four straight years of over 1,000 receiving yards from 2013-2016 and last year had 56 catches 762 and 5 touchdowns. He’ll bring his experience and leadership to that receiving room with young playmakers like Zach Pascal and Michael Pittman Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars
2020 Record: 1-15
The Trevor Lawerence Jaguars are ready to enter this year in full start of a rebuild mode. With a new head coach in Urban Meyer, a new quarterback (most likely), five draft picks in the first three rounds, and some solid offseason additions, the Jags will look to try and compete in the AFC South. Running back James Robinson will returning after his 1,000+ rushing yard season. And young core players like defensive end Josh Allen, wideout Laviska Shenault, and cornerback C.J. Henderson, will all be key components in the future of this team. With Minshew Mania out the window the Jags are in a phase of where the pieces need to start coming together soon or their legacy will just be of that one AFC Championship run in 2018.
WR Marvin Jones
With Marvin Jones the Jags are getting a solid veteran presence on the offensive side of the ball who can still contribute at a high level. Last year Jones had 76 catches for 978 yards and 9 TDs for the Lions. He’s had 23 touchdowns in the last four years so he can definitely be a WR1 for this Jaguars team.
CB Shaquill Griffin
The St. Petersburg native is returning to his home state on a nice contract. Sadly it will be without his twin brother Shaquem, but maybe he’ll be able to sign later whenever he becomes a free agent. Shaquill is coming off a solid season with 3 interceptions and 63 tackles for the Seahawks. They didn’t have the best defense but he was a standout for them, with ultimately led to him getting paid. Teaming up with C.J. Henderson and Sidney Jones in the secondary, the Jags look to try and stop the pass-heavy attack in today’s NFL.
Tennessee Titans
2020 Record: 11-5
The Titans are in a weird predicament right now. Losing Jonnu Smith, Corey Davis, Malcolm Butler, Jadeveon Clowney, and Adoreee Jackson. With Derrick Henry leading the way after his 2,000 yard season, the Titans are depending on him and A.J. Brown to take them to the promise land for the AFC South.
CB Janoris Jenkins
Janoris “Jackrabbit” Jenkins brings a veteran presence to the already depleted defensive back room for the Titans. Jenkins is coming off of a year with 3 interceptions (including a pick-six against Tom Brady) and 55 tackles for the Saints. Him and Kevin Byard will likely be holding down the fort for the secondary.
LB Bud Dupree
After his season was unfortunately cut short due to an ACL injury in December, Bud Dupree went out and got paid this offseason. Dupree went and got a 5 year, $85 million deal to go replace Jadeveon Clowney for the Titans this year. Dupree is coming off a season with 8 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in only 11 games. As long as he’s able to fully recover I expect him and Harold Landry to be a solid edge rushing tandem for Tennessee.
AFC West
Denver Broncos
2020 Record: 5-11
The Broncos were dealt a really awful hand of luck last year. Losing both Courtland Sutton and Von Miller to season-ending injuries really hurt them in the long run. Starting off 4-7 and playing with a college quarterback with no NFL experience against the Saints is just examples of how this season ended before it even started for them. However, this year all eyes go to third-year quarterback Drew Lock. He has the weapons around him now and even has a stalwart tackle in Garrett Bolles, who had a career year last year. Head coach Vic Fangio went out this offseason and as the former defensive coordinator he is, made sure the defense was looking right for this year.
CB Kyle Fuller
After the Bears made the former All-Pro a cap casualty, the Broncos quickly swooped in for Kyle Fuller by signing him for a one-year deal. The main thing that stands out to me with Fuller is that he has never missed a game since his rookie season in 2014. He can also come down and make the tackle for you, as he had 65 of them last year. Fuller re-unites with his former coordinator Vic Fangio and adds to an already stacked secondary.
S Justin Simmons (re-sign)
Arguably one of the leagues best safeties, Simmons returns to the Broncos coming off an incredible year. The 27 year-old was yet to miss a game since 2017 and is coming off a year where he earned his first pro-bowl selection. Simmons picked the ball off five times and had a solid 96 tackles, so expect him to produce like that again with these new secondary additions.
CB Ronald Darby
Darby is going to his fifth team in his seventh season, but that’s not because he isn’t talented enough. Darby has always been a solid corner with pure speed ever since coming out of Florida State in 2015. However, my only problem is that he hasn’t gotten considerably better since entering the league stat-wise. In contrast to that statement, I feel like with this group of defensive backs he’ll have a chance to shine since quarterbacks will most likely try to avoid throwing to Fuller before Darby.
Kansas City Chiefs
2020 Record: 14-2
When you go to two straight super bowls, there’s not much you need to do in the offseason. The core of Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill are coming back for another year so I expect just as much offensive firepower. And after being held to only three field goals in the super bowl against the Bucs, I also expect Mahomes to go on a “revenge” tour on the league. However, his protection is going to be looking different as both of his starting tackles (Eric Fisher & Mitchell Schwartz) will not be on the team due to being released in March. Let’s see what the two-time reigning AFC champions did this offseason.
OG Joe Thuney
Just as they should’ve, the Chiefs went and got arguably one of the best lineman in the league on a lengthy deal. Joe Thuney is coming off five years in New England with two super bowl rings so he’s definitely used to winning. After being tagged last year by the Patriots they were faced with no other choice but to let him walk this offseason and clearly, he got paid.
OG Kyle Long
When you go to two straight Super Bowls, it seems to convince people to come out of retirement for you. Three time pro-bowler Kyle Long is now coming out of his retirement to chase that ring this year. Kansas City will now have one of the best guard tandems in the league with Thuney and Long. And after watching Mahomes run for his life against the Bucs, they definitely seemed to have need it. I expect them to address the need for tackles in the draft most likely but we shall see.
Las Vegas Raiders
2020 Record: 8-8
It is still weird calling them the Las Vegas Raiders, but that massive stadium is definitely worth it. However, this seems to be Jon Gruden’s last chance in Vegas. Going into his fourth year as head coach, he has yet to win over eight games so I’m assuming Mark Davis and his absurd haircut are getting tired of not just winning baby. After starting 5-3, the Raiders succumbed to their flaws and finished the season 8-8. The real question here is that is Derek Carr the answer? This is both Carr and Gruden’s last chance to find any sort of success in the silver & black. And getting rid of three of your starting offensive linemen is probably not the best way to go about winning, but I’m not an NFL gm so we shall see.
HB Kenyan Drake
Drake is coming off two straight years of 8+ touchdowns with the Cardinals and I expect him to be used heavily in this Raiders offense alongside star running back Josh Jacobs. The 27 year-old will come in expecting to be a major contributor in the passing game while the Raiders just lost arguably their best receiver in Nelson Agholor.
LB/DE Yannick Ngakoue
This will now be Ngakoue’s third team in these last two years after being traded to the Vikings from the Jaguars and then to the Ravens from the Vikings. The positive is that Ngakoue only just turned 26 on March 31st so he still has many years left of his prime in the league. Ngakoue has never had a season with under eight sacks and pairing him up front with former #4 pick Clelin Ferrell will open up the pass rushing game for a Raiders defense that was 30th in total defense last year.
Los Angeles Chargers
2020 Record: 7-9
When your quarterback is told twenty seconds before kickoff that he is going to start against the reigning champions and then he goes on to win Rookie of the Year, as a Chargers fan (if there are any) you have to smile. The Chargers record is obviously not awful, but they lost a lot of winnable games. Ownership put that on former coach Anthony Lynn, as they parted ways after the season. They went out and hired rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to be their new head coach. It will be Staley’s first head coaching position in the NFL, but when you lead your defense to be #1, you’ll get some attention around the league. I’m interested to see how they do this year, especially with the return of Derwin James.
TE Jared Cook
After losing Hunter Henry to the Patriots the Chargers had to get another tight end to pair with up and coming Donald Parham Jr. In 15 games last year for the Saints Cook had over 500 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns with an offense that was without Drew Brees for significant time. I expect Herbert to get him the ball on a consistent basis and he’ll be a top tight end in and AFC West division with the likes of Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, and Noah Fant.
C Corey Linsley
Coming off his first team All-Pro selection just last year, Corey Linsley was one of the big name free agents this offseason. As the Chargers needed more protection for their franchise quarterback, they went out and spent big for Linsley. Five years and $62.5 million was the deal for the former Packers center, and he’s definitely worth it. Last year was the first season that Linsley missed any playing time since 2016 so he’s definitely durable. He’ll show his impact for the Chargers as they look to improve on that 7-9 record from last year.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
2020 Record: 6-10
Last year was a year to forget for all Cowboys fans. After starting 1-3 and losing quarterback Dak Prescott to a horrific ankle injury for the year in week 4, the season was destined to fail. Also having the 28th ranked defense doesn’t help too much either. The thing with the Cowboys is I don’t see them having any significant success as long as Mike McCarthy is their head coach. In my opinion he is not the coach they needed and isn’t really that good of a coach to begin with. However, they have the star power to make him look decent enough to make the playoffs. It’s basically the same situation as when Jason Garrett was their coach. Losing Chidobe Awuzie and Aldon Smith are going to be big losses in the long run, but at least they fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.
QB Dak Prescott (re-sign)
Bottom line is that this team will go only as far as Dak takes them. You saw what happened to them last year when he went down. Ben DiNucci happened. If the Falcons didn’t have a Falcons moment, they would’ve been 0-4 to start the year. However, a healthy Tyron Smith & La’El Collins will most definitely help the offense to get stable and productive again. Star running back Ezekiel Elliot will also have to control the ball better next year, which I believe he will. Anyways, giving Dak his well-deserved money is something I didn’t think Mr. Jerry World would do but desperate times call for desperate measures.
LB Keanu Neal
If you’re a Cowboys fan this is what you like to see. Keanu Neal is an absolute dog and moving him to weak-side linebacker is above that I’m excited to see pan out. My one worry is his durability as he only played four games between both the 2018 & 2019 seasons. Obviously it isn’t his fault he’s getting hurt but I just hope he can stay healthy for the Cowboys. Neal played 13 out of 16 games last year for the Falcons and recorded an impressive 100 tackles with 9 tackles for loss. Moving Neal from safety to weak-side linebacker will definitely get him more involved in the run game and his coverage abilities will take some of the pressure off of Leighton Vander-Esch & Jaylon Smith. Also the signings of safety Damontae Kazee, edge-rusher Tarell Basham, & safety Jayron Kearse are all underrated and will have the ability to have immediate impacts at their positions.
New York Giants
2020 Record: 6-10
The Giants finished 6-10 last year but somehow were only one game away from the playoffs last year. Welcome to the NFC East. However, they went into this offseason and decided to go crazy. Besides the Patriots I would say that the Giants made the most impressive moves this offseason according to their own situation. The only issues that I see with this team are at the offensive line, especially now losing Kevin Zeitler to the Ravens and at the quarterback position. Now I see that it obviously isn’t all Daniel Jones fault about his time with the Giants, but 29 fumbles and 22 interceptions in 26 games is just not good enough. This is his make or break year for his career right now. With all his weapons coming back healthy and hopefully general manager Dave Gettleman addressing the need for offensive lineman in the draft, it’s up to Daniel Jones to ultimately win them games this year.
WR Kenny Golladay
Now that is a lot of money. However, in Golladay’s last fully healthy season his stats were in incredible. Golladay recorded 65 catches for 1190 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Lions back in 2019, when he was selected for his first and only pro bowl. Golladay will join the likes of Darius Slayton, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard, and new signings John Ross III & Kyle Rudolph. The biggest headline however on the offensive side of the ball is star running back Saquon Barkley. With him returning it opens up the play-action game and to spread the ball around for their multiple weapons. It’s just up to Jones to protect the ball and his line to protect him.
CB Adoree’ Jackson
This is another big signing for a Giants defense that was 9th in total defense last year. Jackson joins a secondary that is already filled with talent in James Bradberry, Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers, & Xavier McKinney. Head coach Joe Judge brought a new culture to this Giants team and their defense just got even better. The next person I’m going to talk about arguably has the biggest impact on the Giants defense.
DE Leonard Williams
And to think some people were calling him a bust after his tenure with the Jets. Williams is coming off a career year with the big blue with 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss and got himself paid. $45 million fully guaranteed is absolutely insane amount of money, but he’s arguably worth it. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. This teams success is up to the Giants addressing offensive line in the draft and the play of “Danny Dimes”. He hasn’t been dropping many dimes in his career just yet.
Philadelphia Eagles
2020 record: 4-11-1
Since their Super Bowl victory, it’s just been all downhill for this team. And to top it off, it’s not looking like it’s going to get any better. With the loss of quarterback Carson Wentz all eyes turn to second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts to lead this team to any sort of success. The losses of Malik Jackson, Jalen Mills, DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and (most likely) Zach Ertz is not going to add any sort of excitement for this team. Former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni is now the head coach after the Eagles and Doug Pederson had a rough break up after he helped bring the only championship ever in Eagles history. It’s going to be an interesting season at Lincoln Financial Field.
S Anthony Harris
No disrespect to Anthony Harris because he’s a solid player and a possible replacement for the departure of former leader Malcolm Jenkins last offseason, but is this really the answer Philly? This and Joe Flacco is what y’all are doing? You better hope that Smith, Waddle, or Chase fall to you at pick 12 because if not Jalen Hurts is going to be running for his life throwing to Dallas Goedert on 3rd & 22. For me, the Eagles aren’t winning more than five or six games. And with their nightmarish situation with the salary cap, it’s going to be a long couple of years of Howie Roseman unfortunately.
Washington Football Team
2020 Record: 7-9
The reigning division champions are in for another interesting season under “Riverboat Ron”. Instead of keeping 2020 Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith, they unfortunately let him go. After being a top defense last year and their #2 pick Chase Young winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, I was expecting them to be able to repeat as division champs. However, I just don’t have faith in the quarterback situation. And I’ll explain why.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Sigh. Now I know Ryan Fitzpatrick is one of the most likable players in the NFL and most of the time, he produces. However, I just can’t see him winning any playoff games for this team. This team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2006 against the Buccaneers, and you go and sign Fitzpatrick? Your quarterback room consists of him, Taylor Heinicke, and Kyle Allen. This team has the roster, coaching staff, and talent to make a deep playoff push but the one thing that’s holding them back is the quarterback position. In this league you enter every year with a vision and plan to be hoisting that Lombardi Trophy at the end. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not going to do that for you. They should’ve made a stronger push for Cam or traded for Matthew Stafford. I think they can possibly win the division, but they aren’t winning a playoff game.
WR Curtis Samuel
I love this Curtis Samuel signing for the Football Team and re-uniting with his former head coach Ron Rivera. Samuel is coming off a career year down in Carolina where he racked in 77 catches for 851 yards and 3 touchdowns. Samuel also showed his versatility by playing at the running back position, running the ball 41 times for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. Samuel and his former college roommate Terry McLaurin will be a scary 1-2 combo out wide for the reigning NFC East champions. Also, don’t sleep on Cam Sims and Logan Thomas as well. Sims racked in 32 catches for 477 yards and 2 touchdowns as he especially turned up towards the end of the year becoming a reliable option on 3rd & long situations.
CB William Jackson III
Saying it was a “blessing” to leave the Bengals will probably ruffle some feathers in Cincinnati, but Jackson is definitely a solid signing for WFT. Jackson will replace Ronald Darby as Kendall Fuller’s partner on the outside on the defense. Now I think $14 million a year is definitely a lot, but he has a chance to shine alongside Fuller, Jimmy Moreland, Kam Kurl, and Landon Collins.
NFC North
Chicago Bears
2020 Record: 8-8
Daaaaaaaaa Bears. After somehow squeezing into the playoffs last year at just about .500, the Chicago Bears situation has somehow gotten…. worse? I mean to be fair to Andy Dalton he isn’t awful, but he’s no QB1. And while you might say to cut some slack for the Bears front office, I say that they are at fault for what position they are in right now. To keep Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace for yet another year is incredibly stupid in my opinion. I digress, clearly the Bears don’t want to win a Super Bowl and are just going through the motions of an NFL team. Let’s see what they’ve done this offseason.
QB Andy Dalton
I tried to find the tweet where they just said, “QB1” but I couldn’t. Andy Dalton seems like a great guy, but damn is this a bad situation for both parties. I mean, you see how Dalton played last year as the fill-in for Dak after he got hurt. It wasn’t very great in all honesty. On the surface he’s a three-time pro bowler, but a further look sees his ultimate regression that started in 2019. It’s rough for Bears fans and Allen Robinson right now.
CB Desmond Trufant
The former first-round pick is jumping to a division rival after spending a year in Matt Patricia land. He will help replace the hole left by all-pro corner Kyle Fuller. He’ll join the likes of Eddie Jackson, Jaylon Johnson, & Artie Burns. Trufant will have an increased role and I foresee a lot of passes being thrown his way this upcoming way.
Detroit Lions
2020 Record: 5-11
This is simply a cursed franchise. One playoff win in the Super Bowl era is absolutely horrific. They’ve made the playoffs three times in the last 20 years. Two of arguably the most talented players ever, Barry Sanders & Calvin Johnson, had their careers basically wasted in the black hole that is Ford Field. The failed Matt Patricia/Patriots #2 experiment has ended as the Lions have brought in former NFL tight-end Dan Campbell to be their head coach. He seems like a football guy but will he be the one to lead Detroit to a playoff victory any time soon? I don’t think so.
QB Jared Goff (via trade)
Oof. You live your whole life in California. From high school, to college, and finally to the pros. Then you wake up one morning and the Rams trade you to Detroit. Big yikes. Honestly though this was coming for Goff as he was pretty bad/mid for the past two years. After back-to-back pro bowl seasons in 2017 & 2018 the Rams gave Goff a massive extension to secure their quarterback of the future. However, the next two years Goff highly underperformed. In Detroit, he comes into an offense who has just lost their two best pass-catching weapons (Golladay & Jones) and has a new head coach. I sense disaster approaching, but we shall see.
DL Michael Brockers (via trade)
Imagine this scenario. You’re on a team with the number one defense in the league. Your team trades for a brand new quarterback. When you get said quarterback you announce to the press that this new quarterback your team has acquired is so much better than your last one. However, two weeks later your team trades you to the team that has your old quarterback who you just publicly bashed. This is the story of Michael Brockers. Talked all that mess about Jared Goff and the Rams sent you to Detroit for a bag of chips. Big yikes. At least in Detroit he’ll have a bigger role now that he doesn’t have to line up alongside three time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
Green Bay Packers
2020 Record: 13-3
Two straight NFC Championship appearances. Two straight NFC Championship losses. This is the issue at hand for the Green Bay Packers. Matt LaFleur has looked to be a great hire as in his first two years at the helm have brought him an impressive record of 26-6 in the regular season. The only question is, is it LaFleur or just the magic of MVP Aaron Rodgers? Rodgers enters his 17th NFL season still playing at a top 3 level and has also just won his third MVP. However, he turns 38 in December and his championship window isn’t getting any bigger. I also have a strong feeling that he won’t be pulling a Tom Brady and play until he’s 45. This Packers team needs to not pull the same bull in this years draft and get this man Aaron Rodgers a replacement for Corey Linsley and some more weapons to throw to on the outside. I still can’t believe they traded up for Jordan Love.
RB Aaron Jones (re-sign)
Besides re-structuring Za’Darius Smith’s contract this is the most significant thing the Packers front office has done this offseason. Jones is coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons so the Packers wanted to get their RB1 a contract big enough that he wouldn’t run to the warm weather in Miami. Jones will team up with A.J. Dillon to form a run & gun duo since the loss of Jamaal Williams to division rival Detroit.
Minnesota Vikings
2020 Record: 7-9
Another franchise that I just can’t see winning a Super Bowl with their current quarterback situation. Kirk Cousins isn’t even bad, I just can’t see him winning a Super Bowl any time in his career as a starter. It’s really unfortunate because the Vikings have a top five running back (Dalvin Cook) and one of the best wide receiver duos in the league (Justin Jefferson & Adam Thielen). However, their defense (especially their secondary) really let them down last year. They ranked 29th in total defense last year and 25th in passing defense. And losing starting safety Anthony Harris to the Eagles isn’t going to help a lot either.
DL Dalvin Tomlinson
The former Giants tackle will bring a heavy run-stopping presence on a team that was 27th in rush defense last year. Tomlinson will line up alongside Danielle Hunter & Michael Pierce to anchor that front line. Pierce will be returning after missing all of last year due to COVID opt-out.
CB Patrick Peterson
I never thought I’d be seeing Pat Pete in any other NFL jersey besides a Cardinals one, but here we are. Peterson brings his veteran leadership and presence to a defense that was made to look foolish in most games last year. The Vikings should also address the need for another corner in the draft, but we shall see.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
2020 Record: 4-12
It really has been only downhill ever since that fateful night in 2017. The Falcons look towards yet another rebuilding period as head coach Dan Quinn was finally fired after starting the year 1-6. Interim head coach Raheem Morris looked to be making some strides with the team but in the end Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith won out the head coaching position. The Falcons are in that grey area in between a teams prime and the rebuilding period. And respectfully speaking, there’s no way in hell this team makes it out of the NFC South this year. Especially after all they’ve done this offseason.
S Erik Harris
This was the joke. They haven’t done anything. Poor Falcons fans. I pray for all of you.
Carolina Panthers
2020 Record: 5-11
The Panthers are also in a very interesting situation. And it mainly surrounds the quarterback position. The Panthers seemed to be the frontrunners for the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes before these sexual assault allegations were released. Now they are stuck with either Teddy Two Gloves or they select a quarterback in the draft. Now I myself would like to see them take either Florida tight end Kyle Pitts or Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, but like I said previously I am not an NFL executive. Who am I to try and suggest what they do? Just kidding they should definitely listen to me and only me. Head coach Matt Rhule dealt with some hardships throughout the season but the offense looked incredible under new OC Joe Brady. The 31 year-old turned Robby Anderson & D.J. Moore into a scary wide receiver combo in just a year. The main thing for the Panthers now is to find replacements for their legends. They need to replace Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly. Both players had impacts beyond their on the field performances in Carolina. And they have yet to find a replace that is even close. Jeremey Chinn, Derrick Brown, D.J. Moore, & Brian Burns are bright spots on the squad. We’ll see how they’ll fare in the tough division that is the NFC South.
LB Haason Reddick
Pairing up Reddick with the likes of Brian Burns, Derrick Brown, and Yetur Gross-Matos will definitely bode well for Carolina in the future. Reddick, a former Temple Owl himself, will be re-uniting with his former college coach (Matt Rhule). Reddick is coming off a career year after the Cardinals declined his fifth-year option last offseason. He went on to record 12.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss after never reaching 4 for either category. This is one of my favorite signings of the whole free agency and the Panthers front seven will benefit greatly.
OT Taylor Moton (franchise tag)
Moton is a solid tackle who will anchor this Panther o-line. However, the question is who will he be protecting? Moton is a top tackle and will be getting paid next offseason regardless if it’s in Carolina or not. I’m very excited to see what the Panthers do in the draft.
New Orleans Saints
2020 Record: 12-4
The Saints aren’t nearly as made fun of as the Falcons for basically doing the same thing every year in the playoffs. If it wasn’t for that one ring in 2009, both Sean Payton and Drew Brees’ legacy would be spoken about in an extremely different way. With Brees retiring the Saints look to either Taysom Hill or James Winston to lead them to the promise land. Hill will be 31 in August and the last time Jameis started a full season he threw 30 interceptions. The Saints entered this offseason with one of the worst salary cap situations in history of the league, but somehow have almost the same exact roster going into the new year. Their biggest losses being Trey Hendrickson, Brees, and Jared Cook. I feel like the Saints can either go 12-5 or 5-12, there’s no in-between.
QB Jameis Winston (re-sign)
Everything looks to be pointing in Jameis’ direction as QB1 in the super dome. Is he up to the task? I guess we’ll have to find out.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2020 NFL Record: 11-5
Tom Brady never seems to lose. And the scary part is, all 22 starters for the Bucs are returning next year. The only player that hasn’t re-signed from their super bowl run is wideout Antonio Brown, who frankly is replaceable with the incredibly deep class of wideouts in this years draft. Even if they don’t draft a receiver, Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson are both very underrated playmakers who can get the job done just as well. The reigning champs will look to take advantage of the absence of Drew Brees from the NFC South, and with a full year together under their belt it seems that the team chemistry is through the roof with this group. Bruce Arians has his guys believing and that’s one of the most important elements of a team. When a coach has his players playing with their heart out for him and the team, that results in wins. The football world awaits the return of the evil lord who rules above all. Tom Brady will be back.
LB Lavonte David, LB Shaq Barett, TE Rob Gronkowski, K Ryan Succop, & OT Donovan Smith (re-sign)
WR Chris Godwin (Franchise Tag) & QB Tom Brady (extension)
It’s self explanatory. The Bucs are running it back. The league is on notice.
RB Leonard Fournette
Lombardi Lenny returns. I’m sad that my Patriots didn’t get him but I’m not surprised to see him stay. Happy for him either way he’s one of my favorite running backs.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
2020 Record: 8-8
This is a team that should’ve made the playoffs. Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins should be playing playoff football. Simple. However, things aren’t going to get any easier in arguably the toughest division in football. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury will be going into his third year as the leader of this squad and will look to earn his first playoff trip, as Kyler and Co. look to redeem themselves after a bad end to last year. After starting the year 6-3 the Cardinals came crashing down to an 8-8 record. I blame this mostly on inexperience, but this year it’s no excuses. Especially with some of the additions they’ve made this offseason.
WR A.J. Green & DL J.J. Watt
These guys might not be in their prime anymore, but perennial pro-bowlers don’t just lose their talent. Both Watt and Green were high first-round picks and when healthy, their play reflects exactly that. Green will come in alongside Hopkins and Christian Kirk as another red-zone threat while Watt will be most likely replacing the edge-rush presence left by Haason Reddick. Very excited to see what both these guys can do in their new uniforms.
C Rodney Hudson
A NFL offensive lineman who has only missed one game since 2016, while doing so as a three-time pro bowler. Yes. The Cardinals going out and getting Rodney Hudson from the Raiders is an incredible move. They need more players to protect the future of their franchise in Kyler and Hudson will do just that. Great pickup.
CB Malcolm Butler
The man who will forever hold a place in every single Patriots fans heart, Malcolm Butler. Butler is coming off an incredible year tying a career-high in interceptions (4) and reaching a career-high in tackles (100). He will come in as the replacement for longtime Cardinal Patrick Peterson. I think he’ll do well for this Cardinals team, very solid signing right here.
Los Angeles Rams
2020 Record: 10-6
The Rams are entering to another new era. The Matthew Stafford era has begun. Now two firsts and a third is hefty price to pay but hey you never know, it could work. Sean McVay will once again try to bring the Rams to the playoffs but will have to do so without defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who left to go be the head coach in Costa Mesa for the Chargers. Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey lead a defense that was ranked #1 last year with hopes of getting another shot at the playoffs. Let’s take a look at what they’ve done this offseason.
QB Matthew Stafford (via trade)
A move that shocked most of the football world, Matthew Stafford is now a Los Angeles Ram. Stafford is coming off a season where he threw for over 4,000 yards along with 26 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. My concern about Stafford is his ability to show up in case the Rams make the playoffs. Stafford is currently 0-3 in the playoffs and with the investment of draft picks, this Rams team doesn’t have any time to waste. The Rams are in “win now” mode and with one of the leagues most under-appreciated and underrated quarterbacks, they are giving themselves a better chance at winning that first title since the Greatest Show On Turf did it 22 years ago.
LB Leonard Floyd (re-sign)
This is an under the radar signing for the Rams, just because Floyd isn’t necessarily a “big name” but if you watch the Rams you know how important he is to the team. After arriving from Chicago last year Floyd made his presence felt on the field. Anyone who records double-digit sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (11), is a very important player on defense. Floyd is someone who can get after the quarterback but also has enough speed to keep contain on running backs and make those one on one tackles past the line of scrimmage. Floyd is still only 28, so he’s still in the prime of his career. I really like this for the Rams and their ultimate chase for playoff glory.
San Fransisco 49ers
2020 Record: 6-10
One of the most unlucky seasons I’ve ever seen in football. Besides the 2019 Eagles, this team had it rough. Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, Solomon Thomas, Jimmy Garropolo, Raheem Mostert, & George Kittle were just a few of the players on this 49ers team that had to deal with nagging injuries. From Super Bowl runner-ups to 6-10, this team needed to take a long look at itself in the mirror this offseason. Now obviously it wasn’t all their fault, but at some point you just have to want it more then the other team. With defensive coordinator Robert Saleh gone, the identity of the defense travels along with him. As we wait to see how the team is going to be affected by this, we can address the moves that they made to try and get back to the top of the NFC.
OT Trent Williams
One of the best tackles in the game became the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history this offseason. Williams inked his deal at six years and a whopping $138.06 million. Now a blind-side blocker is this valuable in The NFL for a reason. The only question is, who’s Williams going to be protecting? The 49ers keep insisting that Garoppolo is their guy, but then they went and traded up from the #12 spot to #3. You don’t do that unless you’re going quarterback. It’s all a complicated shit show over there at Levi’s stadium but at least we know who’ll be lining up for them at left tackle for at least the next three years.
C Alex Mack
Mack will be re-uniting with his former offensive coordinator in Kyle Shanahan and he’ll bring another veteran presence along with Williams to this 49ers offensive line. Mack will be entering his 13th season in the league but has only missed 13 games during that span, and only two games in the last five seasons.
LB Samson Ebukam
I was surprised to see that Ebukam decided to sign with a division rival in the Niners, but his impact will definitley be felt immediately. Him, Dre Greenlaw, and Fred Warner is a scary linebacker trio for any team to face. However, the Niners are listing Ebukam as a defensive lineman on their official roster. Interesting. Ebukam has always been able to make the explosive play and has deceiving speed, but I’m intrigued to see how this Niners defense fits him in.
Seattle Seahawks
2020 Record: 12-4
Get this man Russell Wilson some protection please! After reports of Wilson’s camp being unhappy with the lack of protection up front this offseason, I had to think to myself about watching Wilson play. I realized that this man was always running, in every single game I’ve ever watched of his. Since 2017 Wilson has thrown for 31+ TDs every year but his inability to get it done in the playoffs is quite concerning. Especially this past year’s loss to the Rams at home, it just wasn’t a good look. With the Seahawks recently extending wideout Tyler Lockett, the offense looks to the repeat their successes of last year while the defense looks to forget that last season even happened.
RB Chris Carson (re-sign)
The Seahawks get their RB1 back in Chris Carson. In years that Carson has played at least 14 games, he has recorded over 1,000 rushing yards and at least 7 rushing touchdowns. However, that’s Carsons problem, staying healthy. Last year he dealt with nagging leg injuries and only played 12 games. Carson has unfortunately never played a full season in his four year career. Despite all that I still believe he is an underrated running back and if he just can stay healthy he’ll help open up the play-action for Russ and D.K. to go crazy.
TE Gerald Everett
Everett will most likely take on the TE1 role for the Seahawks after the retirement of Greg Olsen. Everett is coming off a career year in both catches (41) and yards (417). He’s an underrated tight end with good size and speed for this Seattle offense. Him and Will Dissly will serve as a good 1-2 punch at the tight end position.
OG Gabe Jackson (via trade)
I’m still very confused on why the Raiders dealt three of their five starting offensive lineman, but here we are. Any help at the offensive line is positive for Russ and the Seahawks and Jackson brings a veteran presence to an offensive line that seemed to have poor Russell Wilson running for his life the whole year.
And there we go. We have discussed each teams best offseason additions (in my opinion) and given a breakdown of each teams current situations. Next on the list of sports articles will be a NFL mock draft, NBA playoff predictions, & NFL 2021 season predictions. Thank you all for tuning in and if you reached this point, I hope you have a wonderful day. This is YSN, signing out.
Wow! That is a fantastic report with supporting details! Thanks to you, I know much more about what is going on with football than ever before. Keep up the good work!